Nature lovers and in particular bird watchers take joy in hiking through the countryside at different times of the year to identify and sometimes photograph indigenous as well as migrating birds. On rare occasions strays from foreign lands will become lost and appear where they have never been observed before causing much excitement and interest from local birding organizations. Indeed, many birding enthusiasts keep different lists of birds such as those seen this year, those seen in this state and those seen in this lifetime (life list), to name a few.
To facilitate this hobby bird watchers equip themselves with a variety of aides to make the identification process quick and accurate since birds seldom pose for long periods in the presence of Man. These aides include binoculars, spotting scopes and tripods and, perhaps most importantly, the field guide. The field guide is a bound book, usually a paperback, containing artists renderings and/or photographs of birds as well as a written description of the animal including its size, and it may contain other information such as a similar species, what its voice may sound like, its winter and summer ranges, its diet, and its habitat. Of particular interest to birders are the illustrations that highlight features that differentiate one species from another by the use of arrows which pinpoint distinguishing characteristics. Also illustrated are the male and female variety when the sexes are differently adorned and their summer/winter as well as immature/adult plumage. Since some groupings of birds are numerous and the distinguishing characteristics very subtle, the hobbyist may refer to the guide many times before a certain identification can be made.
These field guides are carried in large pockets, "fanny packs", shoulder bags or other similar carriers by the hobbyist. Current practice suggests that the hobbyist view the subject for as long as it is in clear view making mental notes of any distinguishing characteristics (field marks) and refer to the field guide only after the bird has flown away. This practice obviously results from the fact that it is impossible to locate and examine a field guide while holding a viewing aide and impractical to put down the viewing aide, retreive the field guide, locate the possible subject for study, retreive the viewing aide and relocate the subject in the viewfinder to make an identification. When a tripod mounted spotting scope is employed, the observer may use his hands to hold the guide and view the subject bird alternately, assuming the bird does not move outside the field of view while the guide is being referred to. Some field guides recommend a thorough study before a trip is undertaken while other hobbyists travel with an associate so that as one member views the animal, the other calls out field marks indicated in the guide.
Other groups of hikers and outdoor trekkers will often embark on long journeys for exercise and the thrill of viewing natures wonderments and pristine vistas. These excursions often include periods of inactivity for the mind such as walking over flat uninterrupted areas or riding in a conveyance such as a boat or ferry. Such periods could be spent reading a book or map or history of the area being explored except for the lack of a convenient device for holding such material while the explorers hands might otherwise be engaged.
Book holding devices are well known in the prior art including the most recently issued U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,739,960; 5,199,680; 5,351,927; 5,377,946; and 5,445,416 to name a few. While these and other book holding devices may be well suited for their intended purpose, none addresses the problems faced by the nature lover and birdwatcher who must refer to a field guide while at the same time focus a viewing aid on minute distinguishing characteristics of a quickly flitting ball of feathers in order to make a positive identification. Accordingly, the following described invention substantially departs from anything mentioned in the prior art and describes a unique apparatus developed for holding a book in an open position while trekking in the field.